Fostering a Diverse Community of Future Chemists through Scholarship Support, Peer Instruction, Mentoring, and Professional Development

University Of Central Arkansas, Conway AR

Investigators

Abstract

This project will support the Nation’s need for a highly skilled and diverse science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce. It will do so by increasing retention and graduation of chemistry majors at the University of Central Arkansas. Before the start of their second year, more than half of the first-year students at the University who declare a chemistry major have changed their major or left the university. Institutional data suggest that the primary reasons that first year students leave campus are financial needs, inadequate preparation for the rigor of college, and limited connection to the campus community. To address financial needs, the project will provide scholarships to at least ten academically high-achieving, low-income students. These scholarships will support students for up to four years as they pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry. To support academic success, the project will provide peer instruction to all students who are enrolled in foundational chemistry courses. To support their sense of campus connection, Scholars will also receive mentoring and opportunities for professional development. These supports are expected to increase the retention and graduation rates of chemistry students, reduce the achievement gap among student populations, and prepare chemistry graduates for graduate school and STEM careers. The project will generate knowledge by identifying aspects of the project activities that best support the success of low-income, rural students from underrepresented groups. Insights gained from this work can be applied to other institutions and to other STEM majors, thus broadening the project’s contributions to the national STEM workforce. The overall goal of the project is to increase degree completion of undergraduate chemistry majors who are low-income, high-achieving students with unmet financial need. To achieve this goal, the project will develop and evaluate evidenced-based curricular and co-curricular programming that includes supplemental instruction, a novel mentorship program, and elements adapted from the Meyerhoff Scholars Program. It is expected that this combination of supports will improve retention and graduation rates of chemistry majors at the University of Central Arkansas, a primarily undergraduate institution with a large population of students from rural high schools. A mixed-methods analysis will be used to evaluate program components. Data will include course completion rates, survey responses, focus group conversations, leader reflections, and retention and graduation rates. Project evaluation will identify specific strategies that reduce the achievement gap among student populations. The impact of project activities, including the Meyerhoff-style elements and mentorship, will be evaluated to determine how well they foster a science community and improve students' science self-efficacy and literacy. Outcomes of this project have the potential to increase the diversity of chemistry graduates entering the STEM workforce. In addition, project outcomes can inform the design, implementation, and evaluation of practices at other institutions or in other STEM fields to increase the success of undergraduate STEM students. This project is funded by NSF's Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics program, which seeks to increase the number of low-income academically talented students with demonstrated financial need who earn degrees in STEM fields. It also aims to improve the education of future STEM workers, and to generate knowledge about academic success, retention, transfer, graduation, and academic/career pathways of low-income students. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.